Anti-Muslim posts shake up Pearland council runoff

The hijab that Dalia Kasseb wears in public never seemed to disturb Woody Owens, her opponent in a June 10 runoff for a Pearland City Council position. Owens, Kasseb told me, has been perfectly cordial when their paths have crossed on the campaign trail.

Imagine Kasseb's surprise, then, when she watched a video that includes screenshots of various groups' harsh anti-Muslim messages that Owens had shared on Facebook. One particularly crude post features an image of a goat and the words: "I don't want to grow up to be abused as a Muslim sex slave. Please ban Islam. #GoatLivesMatter."

Another post recommends banning the Quran.

"Our few meetings have been very pleasant," said Kasseb, a 30-year-old pharmacist who appears to be the first openly Muslim candidate for elective office in Brazoria County. "But for him to be sharing that stuff on Facebook really shows what he believes."

Anti-Muslim posts shake up Pearland council runoff

1of2Dalia Kasseb is in a runoff with Woody Owens for Pearland City Council Position 7.

2of2Former Pearland City Council member Woody Owens is in a runoff with Dalia Kasseb for the new City Council Position 7.

The video criticizing the posts, which was produced by the Brazoria County Democratic Party, shows them interspersed with clips of longtime Mayor Tom Reid expressing his support for Owens at an event in April. "We need more guys with his background, his type of approach, and his vision," Reid says of Owens.

Reid, 91, who has spent 34 years as Pearland's mayor, also faces a runoff opponent: Quentin Wiltz, a 36-year-old executive at a pipeline coating firm. The winner will have to confront many challenges facing the fast-growing suburb on Houston's southern edge, from mobility to tax policy to noxious odors from a landfill.

Owens' Facebook posts might seem like a distraction from more serious topics, but ignoring them is not a realistic option. The leaders chosen by voters will govern a city gripped by a culture clash between longtime residents with rural sensibilities and newcomers who are likely to find the anti-Muslim messages offensive.

The video shows Reid recalling how Pearland's population has grown from 4,000 when he arrived in 1965 to 130,000 today. The growth has created a more diverse population, which may make some residents uncomfortable.

"We can't not talk about the presence of misinformed people or what seems to be bigotry in this community," said Wiltz, who is African-American.

Kasseb, who placed first among six candidates on May 6 with 41 percent of the vote to Owens' 21 percent, said she is confident most Pearland residents don't share the views expressed in her opponent's Facebook posts.

"I've knocked on over 3,000 doors, and we've met people from throughout Pearland," she said. "It has been a wonderful experience."

Owens, an engineering firm executive who previously served four terms on the Pearland City Council, did not return my calls. The Facebook posts included in the video, which remained on his personal page this week, were shared between November 2015 and last February.

The video ad is the first sponsored by the county Democratic Party in a nonpartisan race, said Sue Funkhouser, the county party chairwoman. The decision is consistent with a new strategy by state-level Democrats to support certain candidates in local campaigns - grooming them for possible runs for higher office in the future.

A version of the video was sent anonymously to the party via email, Funkhouser said, and the costs of producing the ad were minimal.

"Pearland is one of the most diverse cities in the United States," the video concludes. "We are better than this."

Reid, of course, is not responsible for messages Owens chooses to share on social media. The mayor may not have known about the posts when he sang Owens' praises during the April 6 event at a Pearland restaurant. His remarks focused on Owens' experience and knowledge of Pearland's needs.

I tried unsuccessfully to reach Reid by phone this week, and I sent questions via email to a campaign aide. He did not respond.

I haven't met the mayor, but he is by all accounts a kind, thoughtful man who cares deeply about his community.

"I don't see Mayor Reid as someone who would knowingly support this kind of bigotry," said Funkhouser, a longtime Pearland resident.

Reid, however, has made no public comments about the video since it was posted on Tuesday. His silence invites voters to wonder whether he shares Owens' views, or at least tolerates them. He would do himself and his city a favor by speaking up.

Mike Snyder has been a Houston Chronicle journalist since January 1979, with alternating stints as a reporter and editor. His reporting assignments have included city government, transportation, housing and growth and development issues. Prior to joining the Chronicle he worked as a reporter for the Conroe Courier and the Galveston Daily News. He is a native of Corpus Christi and a graduate of the University of Houston.